The Long Background on Chinese Screens.
Posted: Thursday, February 25, 2010
by Mark McCallum
Long Trust Multi Trading Company Ltd
Like much traditional Chinese furniture , screens have a very long history. The oldest existing screens date back to the 8 th Century A.D. But Oriental screens were written about and depicted much earlier. The original use of screens was to place them behind an emperor's throne with weapon patterns on them to display the leader's might.
People believe that the knowledge of lacquer use spread from China to Korea and onto Japan, where it may have already been in use. Trade in lacquer objects started to spread to the middle East. Early products made with lacquer applied included, coffins, plates, musical instruments, furniture and ornaments.
Due to the danger of VOCs included in some kinds of lacquer, recently craftsmen have been using water based coloured lacquers. These lacquers are much less toxic and more environmentally friendly. Water based lacquers are used extensively in wood furniture finishing today.
Chinese screen depictions
The dragon is one of the most common animals to appear on screens. Nobility and royalty are represented by the dragon and as such it symbolizes masculinity, light, and growth. Dragons on the outer border of a screen point to prosperity, peace and happiness. Cranes are often featured in screen painting and symbolise longevity because of their long life span. They are also said to bear the souls of the departed to heaven. A pair of swans on a screen represent loving relationships, they too share the reputation of being able to travel between heaven and earth.
<
Screens as interior design
Particularly in open plan living the screen holds great value in giving depth, division, privacy, as well as aesthetic value. Screens are highly adjustable and mobile so they can adapt to any changes made in the interior decoration. They can break up the monotomy of a plain wall with artistic beauty. Using a screen to divide a room enables one to appreciate both decorated sides of the room divider.
Where a door leads directly into a room screens can create a division and a sense of privacy. Folding screens can act as a divider between living and dining areas, they can close off a kitchen or create a quiet area for reading. Screens can also be used to hide a less attractive feature of a room.
Mark McCallum www.longtrust-uk.com works in Guangdong, China with craftsmen making oriental screens
This Article has been viewed 438 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Interesting article Mark, thanks for sharing.Thanks for commenting
I love oriental art. Come to think of it I love art period. Welcome to Searchwarp.Thanks for commenting
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.